When the wind was right, the sharp smell of scorched rubber was still discernible Monday afternoon as a crowd gathered on Rebecca Martin's front lawn to watch firefighters and police work to remove the pickup from the side of the house next door.

That house — 2523 23rd Ave. in central Greeley — was vacant when the truck plowed into it at about 2:15 p.m. from the southbound lanes of 23rd Avenue, according to witnesses. The truck was buried up to its tailgate in the house, with its taillights flashing on and off as crews worked to ventilate from the home the thick haze that followed the crash.

Greeley police believe the crash was caused by a "medical episode" on the driver's part, according to Lt. David Spies, although he was unable to specify further. He confirmed the woman driving the truck was taken to North Colorado Medical Center with minor injuries and that she was conscious before she left for the hospital. He declined to release her name.

"I was still in my pajamas … when I heard this horrible racket," said Martin, whose house is just north of the crash site. "Like nothing I've heard before.

“It was like (the driver’s) foot was on the gas … for quite a while.

— Eduardo Cabrera, neighbor

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When Martin stepped onto her porch, though, she said she didn't see the crash. All she saw was the splintered remnants of a nearby picket fence strewn across her yard and a crumpled plastic trash can. Then she looked to the right.

"The smoke is what caught my eye," she said. "(It) was just barreling out."

The truck appeared to have careened off 23rd Avenue, just south of the 25th Street intersection. It sped across Martin's front lawn — narrowly missing her own front porch — before it crashed into the side of 2523 23rd Ave. Crews briefly closed the southbound lanes of traffic on 23rd Avenue while they worked to clear the crash and investigate.

Eduardo Cabrera, who also lives in the area, said he saw the smoke through his back door window. He was one of about 10 people who gathered to watch police and firefighters respond to the scene.

He said the wheels were still spinning, sending smoke from the rubber into the breezy spring air.

"It was like (the driver's) foot was on the gas … for quite a while," he said.